Firearm silencers are well known in the art of weaponry, and a variety of constructions have been proposed for minimizing the noise associated with expanding gases at the firing of a weapon. One type of silencer construction can be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 1,111,202 to W. E. Westfall. Westfall proposes a casing accommodating a plurality of removable funnel-shaped baffle members arranged so that their smaller openings are directed toward the muzzle of the gun. Outwardly curving faces of the baffle members are purported to act as deflecting surfaces for the exhausting gases. An alternate form of baffle member in a silencer can be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 1,482,805 to H. P. Maxim. Maxim uses a similar series of baffle members faced along a cylindrical casing. However, the disc-like portion of each baffle member is constructed of sheet metal having its center hole deformed by offsetting the opposite edges so that the plane of the aperture is inclined to the axis of the casing. With this arrangement, upon firing the gun to which the silencer is attached, the combustion gases are deflected by the deformed portion of the disc-like baffle members and are directed from one chamber to the succeeding one at an angle to a passage for the projectile.
In order to suppress the sound of a firearm, a suppressor must have an internal volume to capture gases emitted from the firearm before releasing the cooled gases to the atmosphere. Typically, the larger the internal volume of the suppressor, the greater the amount of sound that is suppressed, and so it is desirable to increase the size of the suppressor. However, with conventional concentric, cylindrical suppressors having a desired internal volume, the outer diameter of the suppressor becomes too large and the suppressor can interfere with sight lines of the firearm. Additionally, with conventional concentric, cylindrical suppressors having a desired internal volume, the relatively large outer diameter of the suppressor prevents the firearm from fitting into a holster with the silencer attached.
In view of the preceding, there is a need for a firearm sound suppressor having a desired internal volume that does not obstruct the factory sights of the firearm, and allows the firearm to be holstered without detaching the suppressor.